1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor module including a semiconductor element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a semiconductor module including a semiconductor element such as a switching element and a capacitor. For example, one of the semiconductor modules includes a cooling line, a positive terminal, a negative terminal, a positive side heat sink, a negative side heat sink, a semiconductor and a capacitor. In this semiconductor module, direct current is supplied to the positive terminal and the negative terminal, the semiconductor element is connected to the positive side heat sink and the negative side heat sink, and the capacitor is electrically connected in parallel with the semiconductor element between the positive side heat sink and the negative side heat sink. When the semiconductor is being turned on, the positive side heat sink and the negative side heat sink radiate heat generated by the semiconductor element, and the cooling line cools the positive side heat sink, the negative side heat sink and the capacitor (see, e.g., Patent Document 1).    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-153527
Since the capacitor and the semiconductor element are connected via the positive side heat sink and the negative side heat sink according to the semiconductor module as described above, the heat radiated from the semiconductor element conducts to the capacitor. Thus, there is a problem in that it is difficult to operate the semiconductor element at high temperature.
For example, upper temperature limit of the capacitor is about 105° C. in a case where the capacitor included in the semiconductor module is a film capacitor. On the contrary, upper temperature limit of the semiconductor element included in the semiconductor module is about 150° C. in a case where the main component of the semiconductor element is silicon (Si). Alternatively, upper temperature limit of the semiconductor element included in the semiconductor module is about 250° C. in a case where the main component of the semiconductor element is silicon carbide (SiC). Accordingly, it is difficult to operate the semiconductor element in a condition where the environmental temperature becomes higher than 105° C. which is the upper temperature limit of the capacitor.